So Fresh. So Silly. It's Spring!

Since the weather and news media are warning  of a series of  "potentially life threatening" storms from today onwards, I opted to hedge my bets and ride last night. I won't rule out riding in hurricane force winds and rain this weekend - it's Bridget and we do have an indoor, and I've done it before with zero issues. My concern is that there is only one main road between me and the barn and I wouldn't like to bet on the odds of it not being blocked at some points along the 30km part I use.

Bridget was feeling very fresh and super silly, so we cantered a lot. I love it when she's got energy, unfortunately her version of excess energy always seems to show itself in a heavy, tight, dramatic running through the bridle sort of way. So, pretty much the exact opposite of Normal Midge. Since I do enjoy the big go button, I didn't fuss too much about keeping her round or soft...I more just encouraged the immediate transitions and responses to my leg on offer and thanked her for being so good about that. Lots of squares and spirals and shoulder in, basically letting the exercises do the work for me. She's been wanting to revert to being wiggly and behind the leg recently, so I don't think it was a bad idea to reinforce that all the forwards are what we like and that it's really not so hard to do. Eventually, of course she did tire a bit and soften on her own and I told her that's exactly what we want (soft, but with energy!) and that she was amazing. We ended there.

Bridget is also currently shedding, in a big way. Must be spring! Or no...wait...Fall?!

One of Bridget's BFF's is also shedding...unattractive, patchy shedding leaving bald spots. The barn owner called the vet, because weird. right? 

The good news is that no one has mange or rain scald or some weird skin or nutritional disease. The working theory is that since school has been back in, people are coming and staying later into the evenings at the barn, and the lights are on til 8 or 9 every night. Combine that with the fact that most of the fluorescent lights got switched out to a more natural spectrum light this summer, and we've inadvertently tricked some of the horses into thinking the days have got longer, or, it's spring! 

It will be interesting to see whether Bridget regrows a proper winter coat or whether it just stays kind of slightly longer than her summer coat. Our winters here are pretty mild and I blanket for convenience sake so I'm not worried she'll be cold. Plus, there's no need to clip any time in my immediate future. So, for the time being, I'm calling this interesting misadventure a win.